![]() Prophecy News Update – March 6, 2014 The Fall of the United States, prologue Well . . . many of you who come here frequently may have noticed that I’ve not posted on this blog in a long time. That is not without purpose. Maybe a better way to express this is that it is more out of fear of what I would be writing than any purpose of God. Let me explain. Ever since the late 1980’s I’ve known in my heart that it would only be a matter of time until our country would fall. I am not sure that this was as much from some kind of prophetic foreknowledge as much as it was from being student of history. (By the way, before I write anything else know that I do not desire nor delight in this. I have always been a patriot, and love my country very much. My heart aches when I think of what we were given and where we've taken it over my lifetime. My hope is that very soon I can also say that my knees ache from prayer offered for the restoration of the church in this nation.) The three things that I knew would bring our country to its knees – or to destruction – was first the rejection of God and absolute truth that was an integral part of the agenda of multiculturalism. Second was the sexual revolution that took place in the 1960’s that had its foundation laid by the previous generation’s hypocrisy. That revolution, that many thought was relegated to the 1960’s has actually never stopped. It has had an ongoing incrementalism that has gained speed over the years to the point of overthrowing how we view sexuality, marriage, and family. We’ve moved from revolution to a fundamental transformation of our society. The third and final sphere of this fall is how our form of government has also been incrementally changing as well. That too has sped up over the years. We are now watching the government of our nation fundamentally changed as our founding documents are being openly ignored by our leaders. We are quickly becoming a nation of decrees rather than a nation of laws. I need to admit that for the past year or so I’ve watched this happen with gathering intensity and speed. My response has followed two directions – despair and disobedience. The despair has been because I have been slowly coming to the conclusion that this may be irreversible. It seems no matter what is done – the march toward destruction seems to be undeterred by both our people and our leaders. That led to the disobedience. I reached a point where I threw up my hands and said, “Oh well, what can I do?” It has only been as I’ve watched where this led me spiritually over the course of a year that I’ve seen it as a foolish thing to have done. The end of 2013 and the start of 2014 was a time of intense soul-searching. During that time I saw that hopelessness and despair only lead to abandoning the fact that God is sovereign over all time. That error – ignoring His ultimate sovereignty not just over history, but over MY history – led to a general carelessness spiritually. I thank Him that He did not abandon me, but has convicted me greatly of my sin – and has called me to back to Himself. That also means a call back to viewing history through the clear lens of His ultimate sovereignty as well as through His ultimate purpose. That purpose is clearly delineated for us in Scripture. With the Scriptures as my compass, therefore, it is my intent to once again begin looking at what is happening and possibly going to happen in the near future. Over the next several posts/articles it is my intent to share why I believe the fall of the United States is very near. I am aware that such a statement is highly inflammatory to many but I neither make it lightly, nor do I do so without Scriptural precedent. Please understand that these are not going to be politically motivated articles. Politics has long been a Trojan horse to the Christian community. We’ve been duped by political strategists who have promised change and action – but have delivered very little of either. In being so duped, the church has spent very little of her precious capital on spiritual renewal and revival. She has not turned to God in repentance and cries for His restoration. Repentance and prayer have been the things God has used to return His people to Himself – and yet these have been jettisoned and considered outdated for our days. The old paths are still there – abandoned – but still there. God’s intent, saints, is not to save our nation, but to call a people to Himself through the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Two passages of Scripture will probably dominate these posts, so you might want to familiarize yourself with them. The first is Matthew 5:13 and the second is Romans 1:17-29. If you want to do any other advance reading, you can take a trip through the major and minor prophets as well. The passages in Matthew and Romans will explain our particular national predicament – or – how did we get here? The perusal of the prophets will give you information as to what God says to a nation in spiritual, moral, and therefore national decline. Please understand that my intent in writing these articles is not to place myself anywhere except among all of us. The “us” to which I refer is the church as Jesus and Scripture define and describe it. My need of what I write about is just as intense as anyone who reads this. Our ONLY HOPE is repentance and return to God. A revival in God’s church would be awesome – but know that it might not be a guarantee that our nation will be restored. God promises that if we repent and return we will get Him. We are not guaranteed that the good ole’ United States we once knew will be restored. But then again, if that is what we have in the forefront of our minds, could it be that a national idolatry might be part of the problem as well? Is not God Himself the prize which we seek? Is not a revived church, no matter what the eventual trajectory of our nation, what is in the best interests of all? Is not a return to gospel saltiness in our culture what will glorify God more than anything else? Nations have risen up and they have fallen since the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Daniel might remind us that as he watched – a stone cut without hands hit a statue that represented the greatest nations and cultures that would arise in history. They all crumbled, but that stone grew into a great mountain and dominated the scene for all eternity. That stone is Jesus Christ, before Whom all nations shall one day bow. Our place in history will NOT be ultimately related to the United States, but to Him. It would be wise for us to remember that – now and into the future – which may seem uncertain now – but if I read Scripture right – should not be if we hold fast to the Living Stone.
0 Comments
![]() Recently at the Soul Train Awards, Jamie Foxx referred to President Barak Obama as, “Our lord and savior, Barak Obama.” Granted, Foxx is a comedian and an actor, and he was basically responding to the atmosphere of the event as he said earlier, “It’s like church over here, it’s like church.” But, there is a growing body of evidence that many who follow our current president are taking things way too far – even if these things are mentioned in jest or overjoyed hyperbole. Let’s take a look at these things and see how maybe we should be a little concerned at where things are headed with our re-elected president. It would be easy to write this off as just an actor/comedian gone goofy – but unfortunately this is getting to be a trend with the President. A book entitled, “The Gospel According to Apostle Barak” makes a case for likening President Obama to both Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesus Christ. Here is a quote from the book written by Florida A&M professor Barbara Thompson. “I learned that Jesus walked the earth to create a more civilized society, Martin (Luther King) walked the earth to create a more justified society, but, Apostle Barack, the name he was called in my dreams, would walk the earth to create a more equalized society, for the middle class and working poor,” she wrote in an excerpt published by The Daily Caller. “Apostle Barack, the next young leader with a new cause, had been taken to the mountaintop and allowed to see over the other side.” Let’s put aside the fact that Jesus did not come to create a more civilized society. He came to be the savior of the world – by dying for sin’s penalty and by shedding His blood to pay that price. Thompson’s statements lift our President to uncomfortable levels – at least in the mind of Biblical-thinking Christians. What is more disturbing is that Thompson purports to write such things under the direct revelation of God – as God has revealed these things to her in dreams. Another depiction of our President that greatly concerns me is now on display as part of an art exhibit at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, Massachusetts. The painting, done by Michael D’Antuono features President Obama with his arms outstretched as if being crucified. One might argue against this interpretation except that he is wearing a crown of thorns as well. The piece is called, “The Truth.” What is fascinating is that the showing of this piece was cancelled four years ago because of the controversy it caused. D’Antuono asserts that the piece is purely meant as a political statement – with no disrespect to people’s religion. What D’Antuono refuses to see is that it is very offensive to Christians – whether Democrat or Republican. I can only wonder why he did not represent the President as a figure of Muhammed? Maybe it is because the reaction to Islamic blasphemy is a little more pronounced than that of Christian blasphemy, which this picture is. These next things may be seen as just overzealous followers or those seeking to make money where they can. Italian artists last month created figurines representing the president and first lady in Nativity scenes. These were highly criticized by those in the Catholic church. Also during the DNC convention vendors sold products that depicted President Obama as God – one specifically of a picture of our president looking over Scripture with the title, “prophecy fulfilled.” Newsweek in its November 10, 2010 issue printed a picture on the front of the magazine of President Obama under the caption, “God of all things.” It showed the president in a position of the cosmic dance of the Hindu diety, Lord Shiva. I guess that means he crosses over multiple religions as God in all of them. Again I see such depictions as news people selling magazines – but I have to ask, was any other president ever depicted this many times as God? It is disturbing – because our president had to pose for this particular picture – so you know he had to know what the cover would say. This is where I get into my deepest concern for him in all this. In Acts 12:22 we read of another leader who began to sound much more like a god than a man in what he said and did. That man was Herod and as he spoke the people cried out in protest, “The voice of a god and not a man!” The way that God dealt with this was to have an angel of the Lord strike Herod because he did not give glory to God. Herod died immediately – found to be eaten by worms. That is how God dealt with a leader who did not give glory to Him and decided he wanted to be god. I am not saying by this that President Obama thinks he is God. He has not said anything like this – nor has he claimed to be God. But somewhat disconcerting to me is the fact that he has also yet to deny such things and inform his followers that he is neither God – nor the Messiah. Some may argue that a president does not have the time to negate every over-eggagerated reference to himself made by his supporters, and in theory I would have to agree. But when these things begin to reach a critical mass as I believe they are now doing – it would be comforting to Christians to hear such a straight forward denial. I don’t need such a denial because I’m confused on such matters. I am under no delusion, nor do I have a “thrill running up my leg” over these matters. Let me put it another way. When Islam was being blasphemed by a ridiculous “YouTube” film our president and all his associates felt the need to vehemently deny and distance themselves from it – and what it portrayed. I have to publicly wonder why they see no such need to assuage the feelings of committed Christians who are deeply offended by these public comments referring to him as our Lord and Savior. I realize that we don’t riot and throw public fits – allegedly burning down embassies and killing ambassadors and former Navy Seals, but I was hoping that this was a plus for those of us committed Christians who see such behavior as reprehensible. It would just be comforting to know that our president sees portrayals of blasphemy against Jesus (especially when it personally involves his own image) as something equally reprehensible. There is one other reason why I would like our president to do this – to publically distance himself from such blasphemous statements. It is because since the election I am trying to pray for him far more regularly. One of my prayers in the midst of this situation is that he will be wise and give glory to God. Speaking as honestly as I can, he needs to do this! God does not take blasphemy lightly, and His mercy on our president in the midst of this should not be taken as either weakness on God’s part – or acquiescence to what is going on currently. God is evidencing His amazing mercies toward our president – just as He does toward me when I sin. I only want to remind our president that there will be a day when both he and I will stand before God to give an account. In that day I can promise him that he will not regret taking the time to publically deny the blasphemies being voiced using his name and personage. When that day comes this will be the scene we both will see, Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15 (NASB) There will be no doubt in either of our minds Who is God and Who is Messiah and the Christ in that moment. Currently I have no doubt Who is God and Who is Messiah right now. Mr. President . . . do you? NOTE: Please pray for our president - that is what we are commanded to do in 1 Timothy 2:1-2! ![]() Where Do We Go From Here? (An Open Letter to Christians After the Election) Day 1 – Rejoice! It is November 7th, 2012. We have a president who was duly elected by the process we agree to as a nation. That president is Barak Obama, who will now serve his second term as our president (note the word “our”). For some reason (probably because I’m a pastor and I’m used to caring for God’s sheep) I feel the need to share with the body of Christ for the next couple of days. The question I would like to address is this, “Where do we go from here?” First of all, I want to quote a Psalm God reminded me of as I met with a couple of men to pray this morning. If you don’t mind, I’d like to quote it in context. The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone. This is the LORD'S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:22-24 As I quoted this in my mind, I only quoted verse 24 – which was enough this morning. Go ahead and say the last verse to yourself – loudly. THIS is the day – November 7 – which the Lord has made! I will (choose) to rejoice and be glad in it! That should be our heart – regardless of whether your human guy won or not. God gave us another day – that is an act of sheer mercy when you understand the holiness of God. Therefore we should rejoice and be glad in the day He gave us! Not even Al Gore can give us a day – therefore we should never take one of these things for granted. If you have another day to live – God gave that to you! Don’t waste it – live it to the full for the glory of God and the advance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Take a look now at this verse in context. I was not aware of the context until I looked it up in my Bible. “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone. This is the LORD'S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.” Those two verses took my breath away this afternoon. Who is this stone Who has become the chief cornerstone? It is a prophecy of Jesus Christ. It is a reminder to me that the only thing that will stand in the end is not whether a Democrat or Republican won the 2012 Presidential election. On that day both Romney, President Obama, and everyone who voted (and even those who did not) will be on their knees before the Ultimate Ruler. Why can I rejoice and be glad in the day God gave me? Because this day, as well as every other one that has ever been has been (and will be) built on that Cornerstone – Jesus Christ. God says to us in His Word, “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” The election yesterday (and every other one before it) was man’s doing. It was men making a choice of their leader – good or bad. But the Gospel is God’s doing! There will be an end to any President’s term of service. There will NOT be an end to the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ! It is an everlasting kingdom that will endure forever. It is a kingdom not based on race, color, or creed – not based on political party – and not based on endless political commercials. It is a kingdom paid for by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ – and it is one given to men on the basis of grace. Anyone who comes in repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord can come. Oh, and by the way, this does not come up for a vote every four years. God has done it – He has sealed it – and the resurrection of Jesus Christ put a divine exclamation mark on it for all time. Saints of God – whether you lost or won yesterday – your future is not based on a Presidential election. It is based on that rejected Stone becoming the Cornerstone! This should be “marvelous in our eyes.” So let me ask a question: Is it marvelous in your eyes? If it is not – I bet you are not rejoicing in this day either? Guess what!? You can wake up every day and rejoice, if this is your focus. For too long we’ve allowed the specter of an election to cloud our view of the glory of God’s Gospel. Take your eyes off the things of this world – and look full into the face of glory! Fix your eyes on a Savior Who endured the cross – Who was buried – and Who resurrected the third day to bring a joy into our hearts that cannot be dimmed by a mere mortal election. Where do we go from here? We go back to the Gospel of Jesus Christ – back to the Rejected Stone Who became the Cornerstone. We go to Him because that is where we should have been all along. We go to Him because the future that is truly going to matter is the one we spend in His presence for all eternity. We go because in His light we see light. We go because we need to make a serious decision whether our joy is going to based on the kingdoms of this world – or – on the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. Where do we go from here? We rejoice – today – and every day God gives us in the future. We do so because God in His mercy has redeemed us – has saved us – and has called us to a heavenly calling. Live for that kingdom and for that calling! Lately, I’ve been noticing a lot of truly ridiculous statements being made – and not being challenged for the foolishness that they are. In an effort to expose these statements for what they are, I am going to institute a monthly award to be given out to those who make them. The name of my award is the “Doofus of the Month” award. It will go to the person whose statement truly exhibits all the very best (or worst, if you think about it) of doofus thinking.
The initial winner of the “Doofus of the Month” award is Richard Dawkins. Recently Dawkins was quoted in an interview with the UK Guardian as making the following statement. “Jesus was a great moral teacher and I was suggesting that somebody as intelligent as Jesus would have been an atheist if he had known what we know today.” Let’s look at why Mr. Dawkins deserves this award for his truly amazing “Doofus Thinking.” First of all, if we are going to take an honest look at Jesus, we can only do so on the basis of the teachings given to us in the Gospels. It is our original source material on Jesus Christ, what He said, and Who He is. The gospels assume – and go to great lengths to prove that Jesus is God Himself. There are numerous statements attributed to Jesus of Nazareth in which He calls Himself God. Therefore for Jesus Christ to one moment state that He is God – and in the next (at least in Dawkins' thinking) deny even the existence of God at all – would make Jesus Christ one of two things. He is either a spiritual schizophrenic, or worse, a charlatan of the highest order. This then pokes serious holes in Dawkin’s statement that Jesus was a great moral teacher. As C. S. Lewis asserted, if we take Jesus at His Words in the Gospels, we are left with one of three conclusions. Jesus Christ is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. If someone is crazy enough to call himself God when he is not - even willing to die a horrendous death on a cross for it - he is not a good moral teacher - he is nuts. So, Mr. Dawkins, Jesus has to be one of the two - He is either insane or He is Who He says He is - God. Those of us who are Christians believe that His teachings, His works (miracles), His fulfillment of prophecy, and ultimately His resurrection prove He is the latter. The second thing that truly manifests “Doofus Thinking” of the first order is Dawkin’s comments that if Jesus knew what we knew, He would be an atheist. It is hard to decide if this is more “doofus thinking,” or just arrogance reaching to new heights. Truly this man sees himself as superior in his scientific thinking than the rest of us lowly unscientific serfs. Dawkins lifts the current world as superior in knowledge to any that ever existed – and evidently sees himself as high priest of such knowledge. This is how he can utter such absolutist statements about the intelligence of Jesus – and how it was inferior to our own. How else could a great moral teacher make such gargantuan blunders in advancing belief in God – when of course the enlightened ones of our current age have made such belief obsolete with their infallible science and its discoveries. The God revealed in the Bible is represented by that revelation as omniscient (Mr. Dawkins, that means He is all-knowing). Jesus manifest that omniscience by knowing what His detractors were thinking. We learn in Philippians 2 that Jesus, being God of very God, chose to lay aside His attributes. He emptied Himself and took upon the form of a servant, being made in human form. He did so to eventually bear the sin of the world – and pay the full measure of punishment and wrath due that sin. But in no way does that mean Jesus was just too simple-minded and dumb to not realize there wasn’t a God – and He wasn’t Him. Mr Dawkins also has a problem with his reasoning - because he asserts that there is a thing such as a "great moral teacher". That assumes that there is good moral teaching - or at least a set of morals that should be embraced as better than other morals. Unfortunately for him an atheistic evolutionary view of the world militates against even the existence of morals. Classic evolutionary theory is founded upon a world that has one moral code. That code is the advancement of superior species, and the ultimate extinction of inferior ones. It is even wrong to suggest that this is moral in any way - because this advancement of superior species is totally random and happens only because life is perpetuating itself. The existence of morals assumes someone who can speak with authority as to why one behavior or choice is superior to another. In Dawkins' atheistic, evolutionary model no such authority exists. It would be more consistent for Dawkins to say that Jesus was a bigoted, authoritarian, arrogant man who had the audacity to assume his moral positions were superior to what another person considered their own truth. If Jesus were a true atheist, the first thing he would shed would be the moral assertions of his own teachings. He could hold such a moral code for himself - but to assert that others should hold it as superior to their own thoughts and desires would be the height of arrogance and religious bigotry. Only a "doofus thinker" wants to have it both ways. Mr. Dawkin’s statement defies any kind of reason in its assertion. He simply is defining himself as the ultimate authority on God. His statements lack credibility because, as one who rejects absolute truth, he himself is making absolute statements about God. In so doing he is making himself “god” in the process (well at least god over all thoughts and belief systems about God). One has to wonder if one day in the future other, far more enlightened scientists will one day state that if Mr. Dawkins knew what they knew, he would not have held his own views in such high esteem – thus making him an “A-Dawkin-ist.” Congratulations Mr. Dawkins! You are our very first "Doofus of the Month!" Just yesterday we looked at Iran and their most recent terrorist plot. We wondered out loud, “What was Iran thinking,” and looked at some of the ramifications of their actions – even looking into the longer term future at what could happen as a result. Today, we are going to look at this again, yet from the angle of Iran’s worldview. This is important for us to do because unless we grasp the worldview that Iran is working from, we will tend to misjudge not just their previous actions – but we will also be caught off guard again and again as to their future ones. Unfortunately for us in the United States the current leadership, as well as the vast majority of thinkers from both sides of the aisle in Washington, are unwilling to wake up to just what this worldview is. Their unwillingness to do this has led, and will continue to lead us in directions that will leave us totally unprepared for what is coming in the days and months ahead.
What was Iran thinking when they attempted to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States? To those in Iran’s leadership, they were following a logical course of action spurred on by their worldview. Some might want to restate this as their “religious” worldview but this does not recognize that they do not dichotomize their lives into the religious and the secular like we do in the West. Their worldview is Muslim from every possible vantage point. What is driving them is the logical conclusions of Islam and the teachings of the Koran as interpreted by their religious leaders. This is what drives them religiously, politically, legally, and socially. This is exactly what led them to every action they’ve taken from their political repression of opposition movements to their pursuit of nuclear weapons to their incendiary statements about wiping Israel off the map. Iran’s spiritual leadership as well as their current political leadership believe in the classic version of Islamic eschatology (end-times doctrine). That doctrine centers around two basic things. The first is the return of the 12th Imam who is called the “Mahdi.” He is an apocalyptic figure who, according to their teachings, will come up out of a well in Iran – and will lead the Islamic world to reinstate the Caliphate. The Caliphate is the term used for a one-world government/religious system based on Islam and worldwide Shar’ia law. The Mahdi will be the supreme leader of this movement – Islam will be its religious basis – and Koranic Shar’ia law will be its political vehicle for ruling the world. Our governmental leaders desperately need to grasp this worldview and how it motivates the actions and attitudes of the current Iranian leadership. The Mahdi will come in the midst of worldwide chaos and disruption. Some might state that this is not a whole lot different than the view of the Bible. The Bible does state that in the last days there will be wars and rumors of wars. The major difference in worldview between these two though is that for the Biblical Christian – we are merely watching these things happen. For the “Twelfth-er” Muslim, they sek to do all they can to encourage these disruptions and problems. They want war, political problems, and worldwide chaos. This is what will help bring the Mahdi back – it will aid in his return to set up the worldwide Islamic Caliphate. Here is where we come to what the Iranians were thinking when they did what they did recently. They were thinking that by causing disruption and even war – they will bring back the Mahdi. This is why we need to wake up and realize what we are facing. Too often our press and our political leaders tell us that Islam is a peaceful religion – that we can peacefully coexist with them in love and harmony. But the fact is, that at least with Iran’s brand of Islam (and I would argue all sects eventually), they do not want peaceful coexistence and harmony. They want Islamic domination and worldwide Shar’ia law. They want the world to be ruled by the Mahdi – and for all nations to be under the Islamic Caliphate. What we are doing now in seeking a diplomatic solution is futile. It is a repeat of the negotiations that England and France sought to have with Hitler. There is no negotiating with those who seek worldwide domination and rule. Chamberlain would have been better off to have met with Hitler’s Germany and let them know that if they continued to aggressively seek European domination – they would face stiff opposition and eventually war. Hitler did not listen to appeasement. He saw it as weakness – and sought to exploit it to his advantage. The Iranians see our penchant for “sanctions” and our constant appeal to the U.N. for their wonderful intervention (please read this as sarcasm – actually more like rampant sarcasm) as weakness. They exploit our useless efforts to rein them in – and see it as a gift of more time to plant additional operatives whose goal is the destruction of the “great Satan.” One would think that the reality of that name alone would wake us up. But our response is to retract in Freudian political horror – and blame ourselves for their actions, attitudes, and worldview. What should we do? How should we act in this situation? Politically, we need to elect those to office who are not beholden to the view that Islam is a peaceful, cooperative worldview with our own. Some would blame president Obama for the current state of affairs, but to do so would be to ignore at least 6 years of appeasement under the Bush administration. We have a “State Department” problem. Those who are responsible for our foreign policy think that we can win over the Islamic world by gradually abandoning our evil western ways – oh, and also by also gradually abandoning our support for our faithful ally Israel. They are fools for thinking this. This is not a PR problem – it is a worldview problem. Therefore, IF we are to reverse the trends that currently make us weak and vulnerable to future attacks, we are going to have to accurately define and deal with Islamic designs for the world. That will involve a much more aggressive stance toward Iran – and any other Islamic state that threatens our nation – and our way of life. This is the political solution to our problem. Now, having stated this, I have the unpleasant task of informing you that most likely this will not happen until the next couple of attacks have taken place. The other unfortunate truth is that most likely the next major attack will make the Twin Towers attack look like child’s play. In light of this I remind myself that the kingdom of God is not of this world. Therefore as a patriot, I hate this development – but as a Christian, I realize that my faith is not based on what governmental system rules the country in which I live. There is a far greater responsibility that I have in light of all these things. That responsibility is as a Christian. My responsibility is to live for the glory of God by continuing to do the will of God. That means that regardless of the threat to my country, I am to love my enemies and pray for them. I am not to fear or hate Muslims, but love them and seek for every opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them. Therefore as the world continues to move toward the confrontation of the Islamic worldview and the view of the Western world – I am to preach Jesus no matter what the cost. In the end, my concern is not ultimately what the Iranians are thinking as they act politically. My concern is to affect their thinking and worldview by preaching that there is salvation in no other name except Jesus Christ. My ultimate task does not change with the winds of political fortune. The authority from which my task has been commanded will never be overthrown by the schemes and political actions of mankind. God was seated upon His throne before mankind ever existed – and He will continue to be seated on his throne long after the last political schemes of mankind have ended. Remember this and know that whatever Iran was thinking, it will not ultimately affect God’s will and purpose from being accomplished. All things will be summed up in Jesus Christ. Every knee WILL bow and every tongue WILL confess that JESUS IS LORD TO THE GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER! May these two facts give you hope and confidence to live for Jesus in the midst of our chaotic world. Sitting here in my office a couple of days after the most recent election, please forgive me if I do not share the same sense of uphoria about our current situation. Don't get me wrong - I'm glad that conservatives have been elected to Washington - and that the voice of our nation has resounded in the halls of power. But if I could, I'd like to comment on a few things that were not on the ballot on November 2nd.
#1 - Jesus is Lord . . . Please do not mistake the vote Tuesday as a vote for the gospel of Jesus Christ and a statement that we've once again embraced the faith of our fathers. I fear that much of the vote was due to the economic distress people are experiencing or due to the out of control spending that is happening in Washington for the past 50 years. There are some who are concerned about constitutional liberties being infringed as well. But . . . even though these are good things in the temporal world of today, the truth is that for the most part the gospel of Jesus Christ is rejected in our nation currently. I'm not saying this to rain upon anyone's parade. I am saying it because we need to keep the main thing the main thing. We've been called to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of our nation. The first century church did not see its role being to bring political freedom to the Roman empire. The took their marching orders from Matthew 28:18-19. They knew they were to make disciples of all the nations, identifying them with Jesus through baptism and teaching them to observe all that Jesus commanded them. My concern today is that too many Christians will see our struggle as a political one - and not enough of them will realize that whether we have an abundance of freedom or none at all - our duty will not change. We are to share Jesus Christ with the lost - and work with those who come to repentance so that they become disciples who live out that same duty as well. 2. Godliness . . . In some ways this might have been a part of decision making among the electorate. There were some candidates who ran on a strong pro-life, pro-marriage stance. They opposed abortion and were not for legalizing homosexual marriage. I am grateful for those who are going to Washington to defend life and biblical marriage. But, I am under no delusion that godliness received a resounding "yes" vote in this or any of our recent election cycles. We've allowed ourselves to be gradually moved from biblical ground on moral issues. At present we are trying to stop homosexual marriage from being declared legal. The problem though is not gay marriage - but a moral decay that has been going on since the late 1950's. Homosexuality is a "death-throes" issue. Biblically, we should be grieving over heterosexual immmorality. Sexuality is clearly defined in the Bible as relations between one woman and one man - for life. That almost isn't an issue any longer - not just in the world, but even in the church. We are steadily being incrementally moved away from biblically based morality. If the result of this election is that we set the moral bar afresh at gay marriage - deciding to make that our stand - we've lost far worse than we can ever win. Our stand has to be on biblical morality - whether that is popular or not. We cannot allow the world of politics to frame that debate. 3. The Kingdom of God . . . Jesus made it very clear that His kingdom is not of this world. Although I strongly believe that I should speak out in the political context on moral issues and the wisdom of what we are doing financially as a nation, my hope is not in these things. When the mid-term elections came about the way they did, I was glad. But in no way do I think that my future rests on the policies that are going to be set in Washington. They will do what they do - which too often involves compromises with which I'm very uncomfortable - but my direction comes from another kingdom. That kingdom is not of this world. History will continue to move toward the return of Christ. The world will continue to grow more and more ungodly in the run up to the coming of the antichrist. Israel will be more and more isolated - with even the United States turning against her in the end. The church is to stand in the midst of all this and faithfully proclaim that there is a kingdom to come - the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. The decisions of that kingdom will stand forever - and are not, nor have they ever been subject to the political activities of men and women here on earth. That kingdom was not put into power in this last election - it has always been in power - and will always be in power. May God give us wisdom and grace to know these things - and to base our choices and lifestyles upon them. May we see and realize that this was truth before these elections - and will be truth long after all earthly elections cease. Am I glad at the results of the mid-term elections in 2010? Yes, for the most part I am - but regardless of whether I won or lost in my votes - this election mattered very little in my choices previous to it - or subsequently after it. Those choices were set in motion a long time ago when God graciously drew me to Himself and granted me repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. From that moment forward, I've been saved - and from that point a path has been laid out for me - to walk with and glorify Jesus Christ regardless of what administration or regime is in power. There is an interesting practice among those of us who are prophecy wonks. That is the tendency by our writings to make people think that Revelation is all about the wild and wacky things that are happening in the latest news headlines. One would think that “Revelation” meant – the revelation of the latest theory about what was happening in our world right now - or the revelation of our latest guess on who the antichrist is – or the latest thing we consider to be the mark of the beast. I will have to admit these things do sell books and tapes much better than simple Bible exegesis. The question though is whether that is what we are supposed to be doing in the church?
The book of Revelation is actually a book about the revelation of Jesus Christ to this world. This revealing of God’s Son is seen in His return – and the events leading up to it. If I were to get picky – I would insist that the entire Bible is actually about this revealing of God’s Son – and how God has been working in the past and the present to eventually sum up all things in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In light of this, I just want to ask a question of all the prophecy wonks out there. Are we doing a service to the body of Christ – or a disservice by our constant clamor about what we see in the news – and its direct relation to the return of the Lord? Are we ultimately pointing them to Him – or just to us as the authority on all things prophetic? The book of Revelation is about revealing Jesus to us. So, I want to take a few moments (probably more than just a few – as I tend toward a windiness or wordiness that is somewhat long) and take a quick walk through Revelation and how Jesus is revealed to us through this wonderful book. First we come upon Jesus in the opening words of Revelation and are introduced to someone far different in appearance that the Jesus we knew through the gospels. Jesus is glorified in this revelation – and that sight is enough to lay John at his feet like a dead man. This teaches us right off the bat that Jesus Christ is not coming in His earthly humiliation when He comes again. We had better be ready ourselves for a “glorious and powerful Lord Jesus Christ” who is coming to judge, rule, and reign. Next, we run into a Jesus who is concerned about His church. For the next couple of chapters Jesus has something to say to the 7 churches of Asia. For those who believe this is also a commentary upon the church through the ages as various churches represent the various ages the church has had since Pentecost, there is much to learn from what Jesus reveals here. He is deeply concerned about His church – and in some cases deeply sickened (Laodicea, at least the lukewarm brethren among them, made Him want to puke). We learn that our Lord is coming for a spotless bride who loves Him more than they love the world. We also learn that the church is His, not ours. We would be wise to seek out His Word for its guidance rather than the latest cool trends that promise to fill seats – even though hearts may remain untouched. Chapters 5-6 bless us with a revelation of our Lord in glory. Surrounded by myriads of angels and adoring elders – this scene is one that takes our breath away. John weeps as he wonders who can open a mysterious scroll – which many believe to be the title deed to earth. Then he rejoices when he sees Jesus revealed as the One who can open this scroll because of His sacrifice on the cross. All heaven erupts in praise of this One Who has overcome and Who now takes center stage to open the scroll and claim His place as the rightful Messiah of Israel – as well as Lord of all the universe. What do we learn here? We learn that not just the church is His – it ALL is. Once again the wise among us see this as a reason to seek Him – not the gurus of modern religion – or the Al Gore’s of the world who think our purpose is to save mother earth. Hope they find out that He is going to destroy this world the second time by fire – cause that will really bum out those who think our greatest danger is global warming. From chapters 7 on through 19 we watch as the events unfold revealing how God uses a 7 year period of great tribulation to bring judgment upon the earth, as well as bring Israel to recognize and embrace her rightful Messiah. The Lord promised such in the Old Testament. This section of Scripture reveals to us the heart of our Lord in keeping His Word – both to the wicked and to His chosen people. This section also involves the most favorite characters and events of the prophecy world. We watch as the antichrist rises and tries to mimic what God has done in Jesus Christ. Yet his deception falls eternally short – and his kingdom becomes nothing more than a clearing house for lies, death, and destruction. This really shouldn’t shock us because Jesus warned us that he comes only to kill, steal, and destroy. We watch as a one world government, a one world economic system, and a one world religion are established by him and his minions only to fail miserably because they have one serious, fatal flaw – their efforts are not centered in glorifying Jesus Christ. Note to self . . . maybe we should be building all we build to glorify Him? Chapters 7 through 19 also reveal to us the utter horror of God’s judgment. We watch as this world rejects God for the final time – and does so in the midst of the most awe-inspiring judgments we can imagine. This is a reminder to us, as well as a revelation, that Jehovah is God – and Jesus Christ is His Son, the world’s only Savior. The wrath of the Lamb is enough to make us fear with trembling what is coming upon the world for its rebellion against God. Would that we would focus more on this revelation rather than graspimg at straws as to the identity of the antichrist. We watch the end draw near as mankind gathers together in one last insane attempt to overthrown Jesus Christ – and dethrone God. They gather for war thinking that they can take out God. Gloriously, Jesus Christ comes to put an end to their madness – destroying them with the sword that comes from His mouth. We watch in astonished amazement as God, who started everything by speaking our world into existence, now speaks to destroy those who have opposed Him in it. We are reminded quite graphically that what matters in the end is the Word of God. Those who stand on it – will not have to be destroyed by it! As we move into the final chapters of this Revelation of Jesus Christ, we watch an initial judgment followed by a thousand year reign of Christ on the earth. Fascinated, we watch as God gives mankind a perfect world in which to live. He gives them a world in which Christ is reigning on earth. The only imperfection in the world is those who survived the great tribulation who are still on the earth. One would think this would be the perfect situation and time for man to show that all he needed to make it was a “perfect world.” But the sin nature rises up again – and as the devil is loosed for one last time to deceive mankind, man (now in a near perfect environment) rejects Christ and follows the wicked one. What is revealed to us is that fallen mankind MUST have a Savior. The human heart is wicked and in need of redemption and regeneration no matter what environment he is in. Jesus is revealed as the ONLY SOLUTION for the problem of mankind. The final chapters are dedicated to revealing Jesus as Judge – both of the wicked and the righteous. The wicked are cast into the lake of fire where they will be tormented forever and ever. Hopefully, we learn from this that, whereas it is not that important if we guess the identity of the antichrist – or whether Rome or Babylon is where he is centered – or what the mark of the beast really is – or whether the descriptions in Revelation are all literal or refer to military helicopters and tanks – we do know this, “You better KNOW the identity of your Savior. Get that wrong and you will face eternity in the lake of fire. It is far better to know Who is being revealed in this book – and Why He is being revealed – than it is to try to know things we won’t until they actually come to pass. We also see in these final chapters that heaven is glorious. And yep, you got it, it’s all due to the presence of God and Jesus Christ in heaven. Even our light bill in heaven is a matter of knowing Jesus Christ, since He is the source of its illumination. We learn that our days will be spent in a place far more glorious than we can imagine. Once again, though, we also learn heaven’s greatest glory is the presence of the One Who has been revealed to us throughout this book. Interesting journey through Revelation, wasn’t it. Maybe it was because it was a journey that was all about Jesus. Funny that we tend to major on the minors and minor on the major about this book. Even this exercise in itself reminded me to keep my eyes on Jesus – not the latest headlines and what they may or may not mean in reference to His coming. Regardless of what is on the front page of the newspapers I can know based on what is on the back pages of my Bible what is important. What IS important saints is that we radically give ourselves to Jesus Christ – and radically live to spread His gospel while we can. The clock on this world is running down saints. Whether the world (or the church) chooses to recognize it or not, time is running out for men and women to hear the gospel and respond in repentance and faith. Time is running out for men to be clothed in the only wedding clothes that will be acceptable at the wedding supper of the Lamb. Time is running out for us to be clothed as a bride in the finest white garments of His righteousness. Revelation was meant to reveal Him – and to make us long for His return. May we once again study this book and come away with that truth. May we once again gaze upon Him and only give a momentary glimpse to the events and secondary characters of this volume. May we find ourselves captured by His beauty, His grace, and His glory. That, dear saints is why Revelation was written – to reveal and draw us to Him! |
What is the Prophecy/News Update?At Calvary Chapel of Jonesboro, we believe that history is moving toward fulfilling God's plans and purposes. In an effort to help us be prepared for His appearing - and also to chronicle news items you just won't see in the national media - this page is devoted to sharing those items and their possible significance to ![]() Thank you for visiting our website! Everything on this site is offered for free. If, however, you would like to make a donation to help pay for its continued presence on the internet, you can do that by clicking here. The only thing we ask is that you give first to the local church you attend.
Thank you! Archives
July 2020
Categories
All
|